Applications
In biotransformation, alcohol dehydrogenases are often used for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure stereoisomers of chiral alcohols. Often, high chemo- and enantioselectivity can be achieved. One example is the alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus brevis (LbADH) which is described to be a versatile biocatalyst.
In fuel cells, alcohol dehydrogenases can be used to catalyze the breakdown of fuel for an ethanol fuel cell. Scientists at Saint Louis University have used carbon-supported alcohol dehydrogenase with poly(methylene green) as an anode, with a nafion membrane, to achieve about 50 μA/cm2.
In 1949, E. Racker defined one unit of alcohol dehydrogenase activity as the amount which causes a change in optical density of 0.001 per minute under the standard conditions of assay.
Read more about this topic: Alcohol Dehydrogenase